Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Goosegirl on April 21, 2024, 09:05
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I used to use the blue ones but have now run out, so am having to use the organic ones based on ferric. How good are they compared to the previous blue ones?
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Deffo not as good IMO
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But definitely better than using nothing. Or than all those hilariously ineffectual methods recommended on GQT etc ( copper tape, beer traps, crushed eggshells).
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Be aware that the ferric phosphate ones don't leave the trail of carnage that the blue ones do. The slug/snails don't die immediately which can also make you think they aren't doing anything at all!
I've used them for years and find them pretty OK. I spread them over a very wide area (adjacent paths) and regularly reapply at this time of the year. But there are A LOT around this year >:( :ohmy:
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They don't seem to last as long as the old ones did, a week's rain and they're gone, but the pack says a maximum of 3 applications.
G&R
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The new ones seem to take their time to dispatch the blighters. Last year I found that they were still attacking anything planted so this year I have been putting down pellets before planting and find they are gone by the next day, planted out a few brassicas and they have survived so far so this approach seems to work.
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I have been putting down pellets before planting and find they are gone by the next day,
Mice eat them too .. I've watched field mice race about hoovering them up. Probably attracted to the bran content.
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Off on a tangent perhaps. A friend of mine uses beer traps for slugs and reckons to be quite successful with them, regularly getting quite a lot.
He used alcohol free beer the other week and caught zero slugs. So it has to be proper beer!
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this year I have been putting down pellets before planting and find they are gone by the next day, planted out a few brassicas and they have survived so far so this approach seems to work.
This is what we do. We often have black plastic down to warm the soil in spring. If we pull it back and put pellets underneath, then replace it for a few days before planting this certainly seems to reduce slug damage.
I also use them in the greenhouse. If you sprinkle them on paths and table etc they last much longer than on soil.
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The advice is to apply them fairly sparingly but I agree that they're not as effective as the old, now illegal, ones
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I like most do not find them as effective as the old ones however...
Combined with sheep's wool wrapped around the base of the plant/ seedling I find this works well.
Bit dark now so will snap a photo and update this.
Update: see photo of sheep's wool. We get loads in packaging of diagnostic drops. It says to use against slugs and use in compost bins etc.
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Interesting thread as almost out of my old pellets and have 2.5kg of the new ones so hoping they work!! I've never really thought of putting on paths etc. rather than soil or putting under the winter coverings, usually pull it back and let the wildlife deal with them.
Can anyone tell me why it says don't apply more than 4 times a year? Thank you
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Ireland is famous for their slug and snail pest. This year I used Clearslug which has good results. Also I cleared away bushes in the shady part and found tons of them. Put them all in a bucket and put salt on them. It killed them instantly. So far I haven’t got any damage from slugs and snails on my veggies, especially the cabbages. Clearslug is more expensive but very effective.
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I have plenty of the old ones left. I also use the beer traps the latter is very good but the old slug worked very very well.
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I planted out my dwarf French beans and mini-pop sweetcorn a few days ago and sparingly (as far as I could) scattered the bran ones. The next day I saw some pellets had gone plus some small slime trails but no bodies. So far, so good then I scattered a few more where the other ones had disappeared. Hopefully it's Ha! Gotcha!